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| Photo = tvN |
The episode that aired on the 31st showed the team heading back for one last shift to try to make up the remaining €100 (about $107).
On day seven they were tantalizingly close — just €2,000 (roughly $2,140) from their annualized goal. John Park joked, \"Why don't we skip service today and rest tomorrow?\" and Baek Jong-won shot back confidently, \"Sounds easy enough.\"
The restaurant stayed packed from the moment the doors opened. Within 20 minutes of a full house, more guests were already waiting, so Baek started handing out the popular squid salad side in paper cups as a complimentary taste to keep the line happy.
Service ran smoothly. Diners ranged from solo lunchers to big groups out for a night together. Unlike other nearby spots that closed early on a weekday, Hanpanjip kept its doors open to chase that last €2,000. Its bright sign kept pulling people in.
At one point, a French customer who read the \"Krungji Croissant\" description frowned and said, \"Croissants are French.\" A friend tried to explain, \"This isn't what you think — it's pressed.\" The customer shot back, \"Pressed croissants? You don't press a croissant. That's like mixing tteokbokki with bibimbap. We don't press croissants,\" and pushed back.
He wasn't alone. Another French diner asked a nearby table, \"What do you think about a flattened croissant? As a French person, it hurts my heart.\" He even asked, \"What if you mixed kimchi with vanilla?\" An East Asian woman at the table retorted, \"That's totally different.\" A bystander teased, \"Is putting vanilla in kimchi illegal? But pressed croissants are okay?\" and the conversation heated up. The East Asian woman clarified, \"This is just a dessert,\" while the French diners argued, \"This isn't just a dessert — it's trampling on French tradition.\"
But bite for bite, opinions flipped. After tasting the Krungji, they covered their mouths in delight, praised the sweet flavors, and even said, \"This is amazing with ice cream.\" The diner who'd been defended French croissant orthodoxy admitted, \"I think I like this flattened croissant now.\"
The team revealed day-seven sales the next day. The Baeksajang crew had hoped they'd already hit the annualized target, but they missed it by €100 (about $107). \"If only we'd taken one more table,\" Baek Jong-won sighed. Yoon Si-yoon quipped, \"Wouldn't it have helped if I'd sold just three Krungji while I was doing dishes?\" When criticism landed on John Park, he protested, \"Why blame me? I only raised prices because the menu was too cheap.\" Determined to cross the line, the team headed back to the restaurant to make up the final €100 (about $107).
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| Photo = tvN |
The team won over French diners with braised short ribs and even handed out neck coolers to guests who felt warm — a small touch that drew big praise. Other customers marveled, \"They even have a breeze coming from the back. Koreans really live in the future,\" and shared delighted reactions.
Staff packed up orders of braised short ribs and assorted pancakes to-go. They visited rival shops — including the burger joint that usually topped sales — to deliver food gifts and thank them for the friendly competition. The Italian restaurant owner even teased John Park, \"John, want a job here?\" and playfully tried to recruit him.
Hanpanjip's lunch sales totaled €1,055 (about $1,130), and the Baeksajang team finally exceeded their annualized target. Over eight days, 436 customers visited and total sales reached €14,476 (around $15,499), which translates to an annualized 1,072,000,000 KRW (about $804,000).
Baek Jong-won celebrated the milestone, saying, \"This is huge,\" as the show succeeded in France — its fourth international challenge after Morocco, Italy, and Spain. Lee Jang-woo commemorated the moment with photos, and John Park joked, \"We could open up shop here.\" Baek teased back, \"I'll just stay here. I won't go in,\" prompting laughter.
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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